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Sep072010

East Palo Alto, Calif. - U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), today celebrated the completion of a major piece of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project – Pond SF2 at the western foot of the Dumbarton Bridge in East Palo Alto.

The former salt pond will provide 237 aces or newly restored wetland habitat and 30 large nesting islands for migrating shorebirds, a new trail and two viewing platforms for the public.

“As the water from the San Francisco Bay fills this pond and birds settle into this site, the 61,000 cars that cross the Dumbarton Bridge each day will have a front row view of the transformation from salt pond to wetland habitat,” Senator Feinstein said. “Restoration of the South Bay Salt Ponds is key to the survival of several endangered animals native to the Bay’s salt marshes. When this project began, I said I wanted to see the restoration of this once vibrant ecosystem completed in my lifetime. I’m pleased to see that we’re making major strides toward this goal.”

The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project is the largest tidal wetlands project on the West Coast. In 2003, Senator Feinstein helped to broker a public-private partnership to purchase 16,500 acres of salt ponds along the San Francisco Bay shore and the Napa River from Cargill Corporation. The $100 million acquisition was made possible through state and federal funds, as well as private funds from the Goldman Fund and the Hewlett, Packard, and Moore foundations.